The day before your Salkantay Trek to Machu Picchu begins, you’ll meet your guide and fellow trekkers to get everything set for the journey. During this briefing, you’ll receive all the necessary instructions, and any questions you have will be answered—so you’re fully prepared to make the most of the experience. You’ll also receive the duffel bag in which to pack the belongings that the porters will carry throughout the trek. Initial elevation: 10892 ft. (3320 m.) Highest elevation: 13779 ft. (4200 m.) Elevation of the campsite: 12795 ft. (3900 m.) Difficulty: moderate The guide will pick us up at our accommodation in Cuzco between 4:30 and 5:15 in the morning. Once the group is fully gathered, we’ll set off on a scenic minibus journey lasting several hours, offering stunning views of the snow-covered peaks of Salkantay and Humantay along the way. Mollepata Our first stop will be in the town of Mollepata, where we’ll enjoy a hearty breakfast.

Around 9:30 AM, we’ll begin our hike from Challacancha to the Soraypampa base camp. This first stretch of the trek winds through scenic, deep valleys. After covering approximately 8.7 miles (14 km), we’ll reach our lunch stop and the Soraypampa camp, where we’ll be spending the night. You can leave your gear here and take a well-deserved break. After visiting the lagoon, we will begin our 2-hour descent to the exclusive Soraypampa Camp. Once we arrive, we will enjoy a delicious lunch prepared by the cooks and we will be able to rest in the glass cabins. In the afternoon, we will hike to the Salkantay viewpoint where we will appreciate the sunset. We then will return to the camp, and have tea and dinner.

Following the lagoon visit, we’ll descend for about 2 hours back to Soraypampa Camp. Upon arrival, enjoy a delicious meal prepared by our cook and relax in your cabin. Later in the afternoon, we’ll take a short walk to the Salkantay viewpoint to witness the sunset. We’ll return to camp for tea and dinner to close out the day.